KH3 Countdown Challenge
by Wrenny2000
Summary: Drabbles and other writings for the KH3CountdownChallenge hosted by PhoenixDowner. Just thought I'd do this for fun. :) Disclaimer: I don't own Disney or Kingdom Hearts.
1. Day 1 (December 25th): Christmas

_Author's Note: It's late but I didn't see this until yesterday, so. . ._

 _Pairings: Young Ienri friendship._

 _Rating: K_

 _Words: 977_

 _Disclaimer: I don't own Kingdom Hearts, I'm just a fan writing fanfiction._

 _For PhoenixDowner's CountdownToKH3Challenge._

* * *

 **Day 1- Christmas**

 _Snow_...the soft, cold glitter drifted down, and to some, that snow was magical. The bright eyes of a child, the joy of that wide eyed smile on Christmas Day. The footsteps as if it were a stampede of children running down the stairs, rather than just one little girl.

The spirited redhead flew down the stairs, throwing on her knitted scarf on the way (see? she was a good girl, whoever said she misbehaved?) They hadn't had a snowy Christmas in Radiant Garden for years, Kairi herself had never experienced it. Snow? On Christmas? Double the magic! Kairi beamed as she rushed past the window, watching the snow fall like tiny, wintry stars.

"Grandma! Grandma! It's snowing!"

"So it is, dear," Kairi's Grandma smiled as she sat in her rocking chair.

Excitement and energy jumped throughout the girl as she stared at the door, "Can I go out and play? Can I? Pleaseeeee?"

Kairi's eyes widened with the plea to go out in the snow, her heart gleamed with hope.

Kairi's Grandma thought it over for awhile, "Well, seeing as you've already gotten yourself ready, I suppose you may."

Kairi jumped for joy, "Yes! THANK YOU! THANK YOU! THANK YOU!"

Kairi's Grandma was never really going to say 'no' of course, but Kairi ran up and hugged her anyway. Kairi's Grandma brought out a small tin.

"Don't forget to bring these Christmas cookies, and don't go too far. Stay where I can see you."

"Okay, Grandma!"

The girl took the box of cookies and ran out the door, a rush of happiness, a rush of magic, flooded through her as she found herself in a winter wonderland. Everything once so familiar was now soft and white and shiny and new, and Kairi loved it. Snowflakes softly danced around her, her blue eyes alit with wonder.

She dashed on, leaving footprints in the snow. She smiled all the way.

* * *

Not too far from there, a young boy stared in amazement at the snowy world around him.

It was one of those days where he needed to escape the castle. It was Christmas, and Christmas was supposed to be fun, right? _Fun._ As if Ienzo had the time to know what that meant.

It wasn't that Ienzo didn't enjoy research; it was the opposite in fact, he loved it. Books and puzzles and mysteries to be solved: it was all quite fascinating. But even Ienzo needed a break sometimes. Thus he planned another escape from the castle, but what the young boy didn't expect as he plotted his escape was _snow_. A lot of snow, blanketing the town of Radiant Garden, turning it almost more beautiful than it's usual state, if such a thing were possible.

The boy did wish he had planned this better, he knew it would be cold, but he hadn't expected this much snow. He tugged the sleeves of his coat, and tried to draw the collar closer to his face.

Walking through the snow, taking in the sights, subconsiciously growing more and more enthuasiastic with each step, it wasn't long until he found himself skipping. He didn't have much of a plan for the day, he just needed a break from evey other day, just needed some time by himself.

That's when he ran into Kairi.

Now, it wasn't the first time he had met the little redhead, and he was almost certain it wouldn't be the last. It was almost weird that they even kind of got along, seeing as Ienzo preferred to keep himself quiet, while Kairi would endlessly blabber on, but she insisted that they were friends, so I suppose they were.

She was playing by herself in the snow, trying to build a snowman. It was a small, pathetic little snowman, but she loved it nonetheless. She stepped back to admire her handiwork; Ienzo thought for a moment he may be able to leave, but as soon as Kairi took notice of him, she beamed.

"Ienzo! Ienzo!" she waved rapidly, "I builded this snowman! Come say hi!"

Ienzo didn't know which bothered him more: the fact that she had said 'builded' or the thought of saying 'hi' to a snowman. Sighing, he waved at the snowman.

"Hi Snowman," he brought himself to say.

This pleased Kairi, she grinned at him. Ienzo hesitantly smiled back.

"Now, his name can't be just 'Snowman!" Kairi exclaimed, "Quick! Ienzo! Name him!"

Ienzo felt his heart beat faster at this sudden preasure, "...What?!"

"What?! What's not a name!" Kairi huffed.

"It could be the Snowman's name," Ienzo offered.

Kairi wrinkled her nose and then smiled, "Yeah! Snowmans always have funny names!"

Ienzo breathed a sigh of relief. Kairi stood silent (shockingly) for awhile.

"You look cold, your face is red," Kairi observed.

Ienzo blinked, "I didn't anticipate this much snow, that's all."

Suddenly Kairi threw her scarf around him, causing Ienzo to stand in a weird shocked/horrified/surprised/grateful mix, and making his face blush redder.

"There! Much better!" Kairi stood back, smiling.

"Th-thank you," Ienzo managed to say.

Kairi smiled again, "Isn't the snow great?"

Ienzo grinned a little, "Yeah."

And so the kids watched the snow side by side, sharing freshly baked gingerbread from a cookie tin, and then playing in the snow some more. Some time later, it was time for them both to go home.

For the first time in a while, Ienzo found himself able to truly smile. And Kairi found herself yet another new friend, an odd one, but a good friend nonetheless.

"Merry Christmas!" she shouted after him as he headed for the castle.

Ienzo looked back and smiled, "Merry Christmas!"

 _Snow._ It really was a magical thing.


	2. Day 2 (December 26th): Trinity Trio

**Day 2- Trinity Trio (Sora, Donald, Goofy)**

Sora grinned that classic Sora grin of his.

 _Uh oh.._ thought Donald, _I know where this is going..._

Goofy exchanged a worried glance with Donald.

"Sora, ya don't mean..." Goofy gulped.

"Oh, I mean, " Sora nodded enthusiastically.

The whole Gummi Ship seemed to shake with anticipation as to what Sora was going to say.

"We're going to Disney World!" Sora shouted.

Obviously they needed a break, and a Disney vacation would give them just that.

Sora couldn't wait to go on all the rides, and try all the Disney-themed snacks, and trade Disney pins, and run around Disney World in general.

"Ugh, more autographs..." Donald sighed.

Though Donald didn't actually mind giving autographs: he loved the attention, after all. It was just that Goofy (and Sora when he was there) always seemed to get more attention than him.

"C'mon Donald! Lighten up!" Sora shouted.

"Remember this vessel runs on happy faces!" Goofy reminded Donald.

"Disney World! Disney World!" Sora chanted in the background.

"Aw phooey! Fine, but I'm driving!" Donald shoved Sora out of the captain's chair.

"Aw, no fair! It was my idea!" Sora groaned.

"He's got a point, ya know, " Goofy pointed out.

"Don't make me change my mind!" Donald quacked as the Gummi Ship blasted off torwards Disney World.

Meanwhile, Jiminy Cricket silently prepared for his poor journal to be used as an autograph book once again.


	3. Day 3 (December 27th): Destiny Trio

**Day 3- Destiny Trio (Sora, Riku, Kairi)**

It had been awhile since the three of them were able hang out like this. The sunset bled unto the sand, dusting their little island in a bittersweet orange. The three of them sat on that same palm tree, just as they had before this all started, all that time ago.

"So, we're finally home," Riku sighed.

"'Finally?' And who was the one so determined to leave the island in the first place?" Sora teased.

"Ha, ha, don't remind me," Riku chuckled, his hollow laugh stripped raw with sadness.

The same sadness that echoed around the three of them now.

Still, Kairi held a smile.

"Hey, at least you two got to go on an adventure!" she half-joked.

"Eh, it wasn't as fun as you might think," Riku snorted.

"But you did get to join us in that last round, Kai," Sora pointed out.

"True. But don't go thinking you can go leaving me behind again!"

They found themselves in laughter again. They found themselves as friends staring at the sunset. The bitter heartache from past battles, faced both together and alone, engraved within each of them. Pain that brought them together, pain that tore them apart.

And still they stayed friends, in their hearts they'd never forget that.

Three friends, three kids, washed over by orange dusk and treasured memories. It had been quite awhile since they hung out like this.

Perhaps it had been too long.


	4. Day 4 (December 28th): Wayfinder Trio

**Day 4- Wayfinder Trio (Terra, Aqua, Ventus)**

 _The girl who wandered_

 _Surrounded by the darkness_

 _Just searching for hope_

The boy fast asleep

Broken, and yet filled with light

Waits in one boy's heart

 _The man strong as earth_

 _Though lost to the darkness_

 _he fights for friendship_

The three friends waiting

Three wanting to find a way

Will they meet once more?


	5. Day 5 (December 29th): Sea-Salt Trio

**Day 5- Sea-Salt Trio (Axel, Roxas, Xion)**

 _Sunsets. We would always watch sunsets._

 _What a bittersweet time of day, not quite day, not quite night._

 _The time where the sun dissappears and makes way for the coming nightfall._

 _A bit like us Nobodies, I guess, teetering between light and dark._

 _But as always, the sunset vanishes, leaving only nighttime._

 _It'll come again, eventually. We can only hope to see it when it does._

 _The echoing beauty of those last drops of sunlight, we'll always keep it in our memory._

 _And in this town, the sunset never leaves._

 _In the little town of twilight, which had soon become more home to us than the castle._

 _Here we could laugh, here we could talk._

 _Here we could be us, here we could be free._

 _Laughter from three without hearts- it's an almost impossible thought._

 _Yet that laughter wasn't fake._

 _Nor was the friendship._

 _"It could never last," they told us._

 _A Nobody could never hold true friendship._

 _Yet we did._

 _We wouldn't forget that, and we never should._

 _We'd never forget the sunset._

 _The bittersweet orange and sea-salt blue._

 _The laughter, the clock tower._

 _The memories that the three of us shared, the friendship between Nobodies._

 _It would be okay._

 _And even if not._

 _We'd still remember each other._

 _And that would be enough._

 _Sunset- a time of memories._


	6. Day 6 (December 30th): Other Trio

**Day 6- Other Trio**

"It's Zexion's turn to do the dishes," Vexen announced as he looked at the chore chart.

"What...?" Zexion looked up from his reading; he thought that he had rigged the chore chart so he'd have the least amount of work, but apparently not.

 _Besides, Vexen was always the one to do the dishes anyway,_ Zexion thought, _something's not adding up._

Lexaeus stopped cleaning, "Wait...I thought it was your turn...?"

"Nope! It says there plain as day: Zexion has to do the dishes," Vexen crossed his arms.

Zexion closed his book and sighed, "Fine, whatever."

And thus concludes a brief adventure of the Basement Trio.


	7. Day 7 (Dec 31st): Those Without Trios

**Day 7- Those Without Trios**

 _They were the forgotten ones..._

The Nobody with the sketchbook.

The Replica who gained a new sense of self.

The boy they called 'monster.'

The girl sketches; the girl feels alone. Although she isn't supposed to 'feel' anything in the first place. And it hurt, those things they told her. It _hurt._

The replica; the copy of someone else. Never having a name of his own, only to be referred to by _that_ name: Riku. The boy never wanted to be 'Riku' again.

The boy filled with darkness; the one who was always alone. Always incomplete; no way to be whole. There were things he never wanted to admit; loneliness was one of them.

The girl rewrites memories, pulls them together in a new work of art. But no matter how many times she rearranges the puzzle; it seems her piece just doesn't belong.

The replica has no true home to go back to; nowhere to go. Nowhere to belong; he only has himself, maybe that's all he needs.

The boy bitter and battered by negativity. Negative emotions he can't be free from, so rather he tries to embrace it. _Tries._

A Nobody barely clinging to exsistence.

A Replica perhaps even less than that.

A boy broken in two.

Those three left alone, those three with no real friends. Who's to say where their story ends?

Three kids with nowhere to go.

Forgotten. Rejected. _Broken._

 _In the end, each one of them is much more than that._


	8. Day 8 (January 1st): New Year's Day

**Day 8- New Years's Day**

Their countdown started at 13. Well, 14 now that Xion was there.

Xemnas, being the fantastic leader that he was, decided that they all needed to do a New Year's Countdown. So he made everyone gather in the Grey Area and begin the countdown as they did every year. Not everyone was happy about this, but the countdown began anyway,

"14!" Xion smiled at the sound of her number.

"13!" Roxas barely looked up from his cellphone.

"12!" Larxene sharpened her knives, glaring at everyone in the room.

"11!" Marluxia did a hairflip, scattering flower petals everywhere.

"10!" Luxord was in the middle of a very intense game of solitaire.

"9!" Demyx strummed his sitar, wanting to go back to sleep.

"8!" Axel just wanted to go back to sleep.

"7!" Saix looked up briefly from his clipboard.

"6!" Zexion continued to read.

"5!" Lexaeus guarded Zexion as he continued to read.

"4!" Vexen was busy with his 'New Year's experiment.'

"3!" Xaldin was thinking about Belle.

"2!" Xigbar couldn't wait to blast confetti poppers in everyone's faces.

"1!" Xemnas smiled as he looked at Kingdom Hearts.

"Happy New Year!" the entire Organization shouted, some more enthuasiastic than others.

And so it was now New Year's Day.


	9. Day 9 (January 2nd): Friendship

**Day 9 - Friendship**

A girl and her sketchbook...she draws harsh lines, sketching pictures of memories...and illusions of friendship. She sits in the room alone. The empty coolness surrounds her, the white scenery is cluttered with ripped out pages. Sketched out memories. She wanted to be able to appreciate them, rather than just keep them as a reminder of what she does not have. A reminder of past events, and why she still continues to do what she does. And so she draws more memories. Adding her lonely self to some, though she knows that it will never come to pass, she knows that even if she tries, friendship is something she can never have...though it's still what she wants most.


	10. Day 10 (January 3rd): Love

**Day 10 - Love**

Love. . .an emotion, something that required a heart.

Over by the castle wall, Xaldin snorted in disgust as he watched Belle and that Beast.

Very disgusting, those two were.

Every moment brought back flickers of memory, and even while being shackled by emptiness, lacking a heart, Xaldin was still covered in stains from the past.


	11. Day 11 (January 4th): Angst

**Day 11- Angst**

 _Darkness_...it surrounds my every step, my head grows heavier and heavier. Weakness racks my body, shadows taunt my mind. It's been...forever. Forever since I've seen even a little bit of light. But I'll make out eventually, and who's to say what I'll wake to when I do? How long have I really been here? How much has changed? I let these questions and more torment me. Just as I am begining to torment myself. Because really, how could I have let this happen? I shake my head, I saved Terra and Ventus; that was enough, right? I can only hope they're still okay.

I walk upon a fragile shoreline, like everything else here, it's dripping with inky darkness. Memories flood into me like those gentle waves. Memories and doubt; it's all I seem to have at the moment. At this point, even the slightest flicker of hope would soon be snuffed out by the dark. How could everything be all right? How could everything be okay? I've been gone too long, haven't I? I laugh bitterly, I still haven't given up. For whatever reason, I keep fighting. I've grown used to it; this constant struggle. It's all I know now. I can only look forward to the day I may be able to dream again. I can only look forward to the days that may never come.

I hold to the memories of our friendship. I feel tears try to force their way out as I remember the days I was able to smile. Tears- bittersweet drops of raw emotion. I can't let myself cry now, because I'm afraid if I do I may not be able to stop.

Worry, neverending worry. I dread every step I take. Every step seems to lead to nowhere. Every step leads to more pain. The darkness will take me too one day, I fear. That doesn't mean I'll stop fighting. I'll hold on as long as I can.

I chase echoes, I chase illusions of what used to be. I've found that sometimes illusions are simply illusions. And even if my friends were here, would I really want them to be?

But I'll find them again, whatever it takes.

There is always a way.


	12. Day 12 (January 5th): Fluff

**Day 12 - Fluff**

Dandelion fluff flew gently by, fragile tears fall from a girl too afraid to break. It wasn't over. It couldn't be.

Dreams all lost away at a distance. Time would often change things.

But it was all over, wasn't it? The final battle was begining.

Soon there would be nothing left.

Nothing but dandelion fluff, wishes far away.

It would all become a dream, all be over soon.

What was left behind, a graveyard of lost hopes,

a broken world left to be rebuilt.

Children ready to save the world.

At dawn, at sunrise, at daybreak...

A new journey begins.

* * *

(Author's Note: I know it's not fluff, but...*shrugs*)


	13. Day 13 (January 6th): Promise

**Day 13 - Promise**

 _"Promises to keep. I'll always be there to bring my friends back."_

But when had he made that promise?

It scratches the back of his mind, a small memory, broken and lingering, that he has to hold on to.

 _It's one of the only things he still can hold on to._

Sometime, somewhere, he had made that promise.

And it was important. To him. To his friends.

Roxas..Isa...one day he'd bring them home.

* * *

 _Always there to bring his friends back..._

I assume he didn't mean me.

How could he? After seeing me like that?

After what I did to him and the others?

They're his friends now, not me.

Maybe I had never been.

The moon stares down; I'm really not myself anymore, I'm not sure if I ever could be again.

* * *

A puppet forgotten; a girl alone.

She couldn't be allowed to exist anymore.

Memories of the sunset wash over her.

Ocean waves reach her mind.

The taste of ice cream pulls her to bittersweet sorrow.

Forgotten was another promise.

That they'd go to the beach.

 _All three of them._

* * *

Sora; he has it all- friends, laughter, a heart, he even gets the beach.

Heh, but that's just the life ( _non-life_ ) of a Nobody, forced to be nothing but a shell of their Others.

Forced to waver in non-existence.

To have everything taken from them.

I tried to save. . . _her_ , but in the end all that came was destruction.

But we'd meet again; we'd have to.

 _After all, we made a promise._


	14. Day 14 (January 7th): Memory

**Day 14- Memory**

Memory. . .she was less than a memory.

A faded echo from the past.

Just a puppet who played her part.

'Don't forget me,' the girl pleas.

But of course she knows even this is pointless.

A shadow, a puppet, an empty shell...

She had only ever wanted to live, just a little bit longer, just a little bit more.

At least, even if they all forgot her, she'd still keep all those memories.

And perhaps, when the time comes, that would make it all the worse.

At least she had friendship, even if only the memory of it.

At least she got to say goodbye.

 _Number 14- Xion, lost from memory._


	15. Day 15 (January 8th): The Elements

**Day 15 - The Elements (Earth, Water, Fire, Air)**

Lexaeus, Demyx, Axel, and Xaldin were sent off on a mission together. No one knew why there needed to be a four man mission, or why these paticular four were chosen for it, but now the group of Nobodies found themselves in Wonderland tracking down a giant Heartless.

"Why couldn't I have gotten a solo mission?" Xaldin grunted.

"Because then you wouldn't be able to go on a mission with the best Organization member. Got it memorized?" Axel answered the very obvious question with an equally obvious answer.

Xaldin facepalmed.

"Oh, come on, it's not that bad," Lexaeus said, "besides, someone needs to keep an eye on these two."

"Hey! What's that supposed to mean?!" Demyx gasped.

"Only that if we fail this mission, you're going to be the one blamed for it," Xaldin answered before Lexaeus could.

Demyx pouted, causing Xaldin to smirk and Axel to chuckle.

"Hey, it's true though," Axel admitted.

"You guys are just unfair!" Demyx complained.

So the Nobodies continued through the strange Wonderland forest, one of them wanting to sleep, one of them wanting some ice cream, one of them wanting to get this mission over with, and one of them willing to put up with them all.


	16. Day 16 (January 9th): Rivalry

**Day 16 - Rivalry**

Sora stayed focused, his eyes ahead, glaring only at the finish line. Riku's feet pounded the beach behind him, but Sora ignored it: this time, he'd win, and Riku couldn't do anything about it. Sora raced faster and faster along the shoreline, his feet scattering both sand and water.

 _You can make it! You can make it!_ he kept telling himself.

Sora rushed off the beach and found himself in the water, he splashed his way through the shallows as Riku ran along the wooden platforms. At this rate, they would tie, but Sora wouldn't let that happen. He ran back onto the sand, water slooshing in his over-sized shoes. With one epic jump, Sora leaped back onto the platform where Kairi stood. Excitement sizzled in his heart: _Yes!_ He had finally won!

The excitement evaporated as quickly as it had formed when he saw Riku standing there.

"Man! Now the score's 13 to 0!" Sora groaned.

Riku smirked as he celebrated his closely won victory.


	17. Day 17 (January 10th): Discovery

**Day 17- Discovery**

Jiminy Cricket would jot down the discoveries they made, he'd write them all down in his journal; it was hard work, but sometimes, sometimes Sora would appreciate it, like whenever he needed to look back on past adventures or needed a clue where to go next. Jiminy smiled at these moments; he was happy when Sora wanted to check the journal. It made him glad that he had been sent on this quest, even if it was rough on the cricket sometimes, he wouldn't give up travelling, journaling, or discovering, for the world.


	18. Day 18 (January 11th): Charms

**Day 18- Charms**

Three charms: Blue, orange, green. Each shaped like a star, to keep their destinies intertwined. The girl fashioned them based on a star-shaped fruit, one that grew far off in another world. She thought that if they held onto them, she and her friends would never be torn apart. She laughs now in the darkness; it had all become just wishful thinking. She stares at the blue charm in her hand; it's one of the last hopes she has. She tries to force a smile. _There's always a way, right?_ There had to be, or else she didn't know how much longer she could hold on.

A Nobody stands silent as dark thoughts cloud his mind. A city of nothingness surrounds him. Memories of two different people float around in fragments, and still he wonders how long it had been. Far too long. He certainly hadn't seen his 'friends' in awhile. A Wayfinder still rests in his hand. He doesn't know why he still carries it; only that it was important. That it stood for a friendship he had lost. The star-shaped charm gleams as orange as his eyes. One day, he would set things right.

A green Wayfinder rests in the sleeping boy's hand. Some part of his fractured heart had survived, and he had found yet another place to rest. After years of slumber; who knows what things he would wake up to? Who knows if anyone would still be waiting for him? But still, he got the thing he needed most: a second chance.


	19. Day 19 (January 12th): Wish

**Day 19- Wish**

 _I wish_ we could've all stayed together.

 _I wish_ it didn't have to end like this.

 _I wish_ we had stayed staring at the stars.

 _I wish_ that you didn't need to fall asleep.

 _I wish_ we didn't hurt each other.

 _I wish_ our friendship was one to keep.

 _I wish_ on stars; I hide in the dark.

 _I wish_ we'd all be friends again.

 _I wish_ tragedy wasn't the only way it had to end.

* * *

 _I wish_ we could watch the sunset as it washes over the sea.

 _I wish_ we all go on the same journey.

 _I wish_ we could see the worlds together, though not quite with a raft.

 _I wish_ we could laugh like normal.

 _I wish_ we all didn't have to leave.

 _I wish_ sometimes for just a day at home.

 _I wish_ you didn't leave me alone.

 _I wish_ to stay together, for as long as it can last.

 _I wish_ that our hard days have nearly passed.

* * *

 _I wish_ for ice cream; sea-salt blue.

 _I wish_ I wasn't forgetting you.

 _I wish_ for our friendship to stay true.

 _I wish_ we didn't have to hide.

 _I wish_ we didn't keep it bottled up inside.

 _I wish_ our masks could fall like tears.

 _I wish_ we could just face our fears.

 _I wish_ we'd laugh, dream, and play.

 _I wish_ to see another sunset, even if just for a day.

 _I wish_ I could set things right.

 _I wish_ I could see the light.

 _I wish_ to know the meaning of a 'friend.'

 _I wish_ our friendship wouldn't have to end.

* * *

 _But sometimes wishes are just wishes,_

 _dreams are just dreams,_

 _and not everything is as it seems._

 _Three trios of friends;_

 _wishing, hoping_

 _for a happy end._


	20. Day 20 (January 13th): Confession

**Day 20 - Confession**

The waves lapped up against the shoreline as Sora and Kairi sat on the boardwalk. They glanced at the sunset; finally, they were home. Kairi's blue eyes glittered with emotion as she stared at the skyline.

"Something wrong, Kairi?" Sora asked.

Kairi closed her eyes with a heavy sigh, "Let's just...let's promise to never forget each other, all right?"

Sora shrugged, "Okay! I don't think I could ever forget you, anyway..."

Kairi punched him lightly in the arm, "I'm being serious!"

"So am I!" Sora laughed.

Kairi giggled, but then her face grew stern.

"It's just...I did forget about you, once..." her voice had grown soft, scared evenmaybe even afraid.

Upon seeing Kairi's unchanging expression, Sora's smile vanished.

"In all seriousness, though, I already knew that," Sora dangled his feet above the water.

Kairi sighed, "Really? I wasn't sure if you actually knew about that or not. Anyway, it's just...it was weird, everyone suddenly forgot you, I was the only one who even remembered there was someone else on the islands...Selphie must've thought I was crazy. I couldn't remember your face or your name...only that someone else was there, and that I had to remember him, remember _you_."

Sora nodded, hanging onto every word.

Kairi took a deep breath, "It's just...it scares me," she confessed, "that I could forget someone so easily like that. Especially you, Sora. I don't want it to happen again. I'm sorry I let it happen in the first place."

"Hey! It's not your fault I was asleep!" Sora half-joked.

The breeze fled through their hair; seagulls called in the distance. And in the midst of a conversation, a redheaded girl laughed.

"Of course you were asleep! Sora, you lazy bum!"

Sora rolled his eyes, "Gimme a break, Kairi!"

The two laughed, memories scraped fresh against their minds. Laughter poured through the air until it faded into seriousness once again.

"I won't forget about you, Kairi," Sora smiled. "I promise."

"I won't forget you either," Kairi smiled back. "Not again."

"Promise?"

"Promise."

Orange waves of sunset bled across the horizon as it blended with pinks and yellows. Two kids sat watching as it's colors poured over the sea. Two kids who sat side by side, and held to a promise they intended to keep.


	21. Day 21 (January 14th): Old Friends

**Day 21 - Old Friends**

Lea and Isa had been friends for as long as they could remember.

Sunsets and sea-salt ice cream;

Those things meant friendship to them,

whenever they thought about the word,

that's what came to mind.

But really, it was so much more.

They had plans, big plans

nothing would stop the two of them

nothing could get in their way

and nothing was exactly what they became

Two boys who had dreams

two who were never going to survive

They awoke to nothingness

a new darkness began to stir

and it was something they both knew needed to be stopped.

memories as hollow as the friendship they once had;

some things just couldn't be understood without the hearts that they lacked.


	22. Day 22 (January 15th): New Friends

**Day 22 - New Friends**

Exhaustion poured throughout Kairi after a long day of Keyblade training, and yet, she wasn't ready to give up.

"C'mon, let's go another round!" she shouted.

Lea blinked, whether in surprise or tiredness, Kairi couldn't tell.

"But...I thought we were done for today," Lea looked over at Merlin for reassurance. After all, there were better things to do today, and he could use a break.

Kairi smirked, "You just want to go back to sleep. Wow, you're almost as bad as Sora, you lazy bum."

"Hey! Unlike you, I'm a hard worker," Lea replied.

Kairi rolled her eyes, "Yeah, yeah, you can get back to your nap right after this. Unless...you're afraid you might lose?"

Lea held back a small laugh, "Me? Lose? Against you? Not gonna happen. Got it memorized?"

"Well then, there's only one way to find out," Kairi laughed.

Lea sighed, "Okay, fine. You win."

The two summoned their Keyblades again, and Merlin watched as they flung themselves into another round of Keyblade training.


	23. Day 23 (January 16th): Heroes

**Day 23 - Heroes**

Sora grinned as they blasted off to Olympus Coliseum, the stars seemed to zoom past them as they flew with the Gummi Ship. Donald and Goofy smiled at each other and at Sora's enthusiasm. It was time for another journey, another story, another quest. One more adventure. One more chance to save the worlds. And this journey would be far more dangerous than the ones before. It was time to be heroes: for all three of them.


	24. Day 24 (January 17th): Villains

**Day 24 - Villains**

a boy watched the waves crash against the glittering sand

cerulean waters glinted with the last drops of sunlight

some may call it beautiful, and he would too

but was it enough?

soon the sight grows dull to his young eyes

out there, somewhere, there must be more

the boy stares out into the distance

and all he could think was,

this world is just too small


	25. Day 25 (January 18th): Light

**Day 25 - Light**

Seven princesses; seven pure lights stood in that room. That one that had been once so full of darkness. None of them knew each other that well, but they'd always take care of each other; they were in this together after all. Among these princesses was Kairi, grinning as she struck up a conversation with Snow White.

"So...if Ventus has a heart of pure light, does that make him a princess of heart?"

Snow White smiled as she remembered the young boy, "Well, he'd be more like a prince of heart!"

Kairi smirked, "Yeah, though sometimes he can act princess-like."

Snow White giggled, "Maybe we should have a welcome ceremony for him."

"You know," Kairi felt a smile creep up her face. "I think he'd like that very much."


	26. Day 26 (January 19th): Darkness

**Day 26 - Darkness**

 _Darkness...it was all he was._

The boy in the mask.

The broken half of something once whole.

The half that was cast aside.

The half that no one cared about.

Nothing but pain and negativity consume him.

It breaks him.

Not that he'd care, anyway.

Not that he'd even let himself care.

He can feel himself become more and more destroyed with each step he takes.

Fractured as he had always been.

He could be whole again...right?

Pain's bitter sting never leaves him.

Negativity holds him in a firm grip.

And he is forced to embrace it.

 _Darkness...it was all he'd ever known._


	27. Day 27 (January 20th): Loss

**Day 27 - Loss**

Lea gritted his teeth: why was it that he always had to run into _him_? He would've been fine to let go of the past, but life kept throwing the past at him. And Isa- that jerk, he wasn't...he hadn't been who he once was. Lea hated that fact more then anything. Something was _wrong_. And maybe that's why he kept going.

"After everything you've lost...you still want to keep fighting?" Saix held his claymore, eyes frozen over in an emotionless glaze.

"I sort of have to, don't I?" Lea smirked, "I'll always be there to bring my friends back. Got it memorized?"

"But they're all gone...your friends are _gone_." For the first time no bitterness stained Saix's tone.

"Not all of them," Lea's face pulled into a wry smile. "Not yet."

"How pathetic," Saix scoffed.

The two locked in battle, raging fire burned beneath emerald green, cold emptiness was hidden behind a golden glow. Hurt gripped Lea's newly-found heart, and it was about to be shattered into nothingness once more. But he was never a quitter, and he wasn't going to be one anytime soon.

"I'm not giving up, Isa...you know that, I won't let you forget me," his tone was almost mocking, but he meant every word.

Their battle raged on. Keyblade against Claymore. Anger clashing with hurt. Loss dancing with regret. Nothing was okay, nothing would be simply 'okay' again.

Fighting. Continuous fighting. Memories broke them both in different ways.

"Oh, I _know_ I'll never forget you, believe me, I try all the time," he spat, rage lined those words, as if he hated himself for saying them, as if he hated that they were true.

"See, I'm immortal!" the redhead smirked, almost laughing. He landed another blow with his keyblade.

The two fought on; there was no hesitance now. Violent attacks. Seething hatred. Nothing would stop them from tearing each other apart.

Cold golden eyes looked past Lea, never truly meeting his face.

Because yet another loss was formed when he looked into those eyes, a loss of a friendship from long ago.


	28. Day 28 (January 21st): Healing

**Day 27 - Healing**

 _It would be okay, we'll all be all right...drift softly to sleep, Sora, you'll be okay._

Sora certainly hoped that was true; this journey had exhausted him...so much had been lost, sometimes it even hurt to smile. But he'd make it...he'd have to.

Hurt poured through him. So many Heartless, so many enemies were thrown at him again and again. And this journey, this final journey, it scared him more than most. It scared him more than he'd like to admit.

So much was at stake, so much to fight for, he only hoped he could make it through.

But he wasn't alone. Not right now. As long as he had friends by his side, he'd be unstoppable.

Though his heart teeters on the edge of breaking, he remembers their smiles, his friends' smiles. He remembers to fight alongside them, to fight for them. And he knows, that if he smiles too, things will definitely be all right.

He lay in bed for a bit of rest on his journey, and closes his heavy eyelids with a halfway broken smile drawn on his face.

 _It was going to be okay. The pain wouldn't last forever. They'd all make it in the end. All his friends, they'd win this together._


	29. Day 29 (January 22nd): Victory

**Day 29 - Victory**

 _Because we were never going to win..._

 _I know that, even with our planning, everything still fell apart._

 _At this point, neither of us could stop it._

 _In a word, everything was broken...I hated seeing Lea like that._

 _So hurt and bit by betrayal._

 _And it was all because of_ _me._

 _Everything changed. The hollow memories of the past could tell me that._

 _How had it happened? When all I wanted was a heart._

 _We knew that he was untrustworthy, and yet, here I am._

 _Because we would never defeat him: would we, Lea?_

 _We'd never figure it out._

 _Just two kids, aiming for victory._

 _In the end, nothing more than loss met us._


	30. Day 30 (January 23rd): Reunion

**Day 30 - Reunion**

"I haven't seen them in quite a long time," Aqua muttered to herself as she walked through the Realm of Darkness.

 _Maybe one day the three of us will reunite, maybe one day the worlds will be safe;_ Aqua has kept these thoughts, kept what scraps of positive thoughts she could cling to. There was hope out there; there always was.

Maybe she'd never leave, but she'd still fight. Maybe she'd escape, be free, but even then another battle would await. And maybe she'd win that one too. Then she might find her friends, and then, perhaps, she could allow a smile.

She kept herself going, she kept herself alive. A wayfinder. A dreamer. A girl who lost her friends.

Maybe they'd have a tearfilled, joyful reunion.

Maybe they never would.


	31. Day 31 (January 24th): Home

**Day 31 - Home**

Going back home everything seems so much smaller...after all we've seen, after actually travelling to all those worlds we could only dream of, everything was so different now and yet so familiar all at once, but we were fine. And even after seeing all those worlds, it's this small island, this beautiful island, that remains my favorite, and it's the only one I can truly call home.

A light island breeze brushes past, I sit on that palm tree, watch as the ocean crashes gently at the shore. And I dream of the time when we thought all our problems could be solved with a raft.


	32. Day 32 (January 25th): Blast Off!

**Day 32 - Blast Off!**

Sora, Donald, and Goofy all sat in the Gummi Ship. Excitement pounded in their hearts.

"So, where to next?" the boy asked.

Goofy grinned, "Wherever ya want, I guess."

Sora pouted at that vague answer, or non-answer, really.

"C'mon Goofy, you must have some idea!"

Sora sighed: this was _not_ where he wanted his adventure to start.

"Just hurry up and decide already!" Donald shouted.

Sora glared at Donald, but then went back to his usual grin.

"All right! All right! I think I know where to go..."

Sora started up the Gummi Ship again; they were about to head off to a new destination. A new adventure, and they were ready for whatever it had to throw at them.

 _3...2...1...Blast off!_


End file.
